BroadwayWorld catches up with performers Chiara Sparkes and Ross Baxter to chat about their Glasgow-based production company Drive Official.

Ross: I think people think Drive itself is a musical theatre night but Drive for us is our partnership together and we wanted Drive Lounge and Drive Duos to stem off from that. It's a partnership between me and Chiara which is soon to be expanding later in this year.

Chiara: Me and Ross had worked together loads since graduating from the same uni course and we found that we reallyliked working together. We were doing a panto together and thought it might be the last one for a while because there was nothing on the horizon. We were laughing about starting a company and then during the panto we'd have meetings in a Cafe Nero and decided we'd have a night of people singing and see if people liked it and if people wanted it. 

We got a venue and we spoke about so many horrendous names and then came up with Drive because we were always driving about. We did a really aloof Instagram post with just the name and we were surprised at how many folk followed it just from that and then the first event we did sold out so there was a want for the sort of musical theatre event you'd see in London that doesn't really happen here. 

We were inspired by a lot of people we knew who were friends and came together in the Scottish theatre industry to do stuff together. I had never been more nervous for anything in my life which seems ridiculous for having a couple of people sing a couple of songs. Looking back now, I wonder if its because I knew it was the start of something that catapulted us into this new way of living which I genuinely thought would never happen. 

Ross: In short it's a platform to support musical theatre in Scotland.

Ross: I feel like it is under-represented and there's a stigma attached to musical theatre from a lot of angles. 

Chiara: I think we were both bored. It's changing now but at the time when we both graduated the term "gig theatre" kept getting used and I'd go and see it and go "...yeah its a musical". But people were so ashamed to call that piece of work a musical that they'd say it was gig theatre.

Ross: Or a play with music.

Chiara: I was getting really frustrated that they weren't calling it a musical. I think theatre companies were catching on because they knew that shows like that were selling better. Scotland has a really bad habit of not using Scottish musical theatre performers in things like that and we knew so many people that we think are amazing were just sitting at home.We wanted to give them an opportunity to sing songs and make sure they were paid for it and it was kind of a retaliation to feeling like there was so much talent not getting shown.

Ross: It's not a shortage of want. You've got degree courses, college courses, and private institutions. You can count on two hands how many you've got in Scotland but where's the work? We've got all these amazing talented vocalists, actors and dancers who don't get any platform unless its something so specific- unless they move to London. 

Ross: We usually say a connection to Scotland. Live, work, have trained or have a loose connection. We don't want it ever to feel limited.

Chiara: I think that's why we started it, we don't ever want it to lose its heart. If there's people coming from London which we love, then they still have that connection to Scotland. 

Ross: Drive Lounge is a cabaret with a slightly bigger cast between eight and ten people and its a relatively big crowd of about 80+ and the performers will sing solos, duets, trios. Drive Duos is two performers who have a connection whether it be that they're a couple or best friends or family and they perform a set for about two and a half hours.

Chiara: We had a big plan that's gone array because we're both performers too. With our latest Drive we planned what we were going to do and then in classic fashion Ross got a job two days later. Funnily enough that happened with the first ever Drive we were going to do. So for this one we had planned the announcement of the new team but as Ross unfortunately can't be with us we don't want him not to be there for that. We do have someone that does all the arrangements but that will be revealed soon. 

Ross: When we first started Drive Chiara and I asked each other what was the end goal and we said a book musical. It takes a lot of planning. We'd love to do one one day.

Chiara: It's on the cards. We are so passionate about Scotland getting a book musical. I think it would be so exciting to see a book musical done by the Drive criteria which is Scottish performers that are living here. I would love that.

Ross: Each one has been loosely themed and we've only recently started pushing them as themed nights. We've had: your go-to song, something that means something to you, an 80s theme, a song from your panto, a big song for you, all roads lead to Scotland.

Chiara: We had the last one in both Glasgow and in Edinburgh where half the performers were from East coast or West coast. We had Beyond Oz which was a concept based on the Wicked movie. And the latest one is rising and reigningwhich is celebrating six new grads that are coming out and some pros. At this time of year its nice to give people a bitmore of an opportunity because it is harder and harder to get your name out there at the beginning.

Ross: A lot of people go away and study and train and work in London then come back home and don't know where to start. Because we get some industry professionals coming and lots of footfall Drive is a good place to stand up and sing and say hey, I'm here and get your face out there.

Ross: Different every time. 

Chiara: I think the thing I'm most proud of is that it is a genuinely supportive atmosphere.

Ross: It's like a hype room. 

Chiara: The opinion that a lot of people have about musical theatre is that its so cutthroat but the thing at Drive is that everyone is totally celebrated. We make sure that everyone who performs has a different vibe so its not like six girls belting and seven boys doing big ballads. Being able to celebrate that one performer is what makes it so supportive. We want it to be like a varied group, not all from the one drama school.

Ross: People are always so nervous beforehand and then they're like "what was I so nervous about" because the room is so lovely. That's something we want to make sure is never lost- being a supportive fun environment.

Ross: Everyone that can fit in the Oran Mor.

Chiara: One time my dad had been out in the West End with his pals and they would never normally go to a musical theatre event after being in the pub all day but one of his friends was like, "this is brilliant oh my god". I was surprised, not that I don't back it but I suppose people in Scotland just love seeing people do something they're good at.

Ross: Anyone that's got a love for the classics as well. Our demographic is a lot of students and industry professionals but we're keen at the Oran Mor to reach the wider audience which is why when we're creating a setlist we don't want it to be too niche. We need to make sure we have the niche ones in for the students and then the West Side Stories that the paying audience would love to hear.

Ross: An expansion of the team. We're doing a few festivals: West End Fest, the Highland Centre Festival at the end of July. Some more Drive Lounges, certainly more Drive Duos. 

Chiara: Drive Live which is our one-person concept show. There's more exciting stuff but we've learned we can get a bit carried away. What's really nice about it is we've always wanted to expand it and do bigger and better things and that's happened naturally now at the two-year mark. 

Ross: That's why we need a bigger team. 

Chiara: I think that I've never wanted it to feel like a showcase for us as performers. Not that thats a bad thing. 

Ross: There's nothing wrong with creating your own work.

Chiara: It's so much effort planning it that I think if I was to think about singing on the night I'd actually keel over. We just really wanted it to be about those performers and that our support is with them. We always had business-y minds but now Ross works for the Oran Mor after working with Drive and realising how much he loved events. Then I've started doing a bit of directing as well and we've added more strands to what we do which is really nice.

Ross: Maybe a Drive Duos to mark the five year anniversary! 

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